Aurora staff weigh larger buffers and EV‑ready rules for new gas stations

Marissa Noble, GIS Planner 3 in Aurora’s long‑range planning group, told the Planning and Economic Development Committee that Aurora’s current UDO bars new gas stations within 500 feet of certain sensitive uses (daycare centers, hospitals, K‑12 schools, nursing/group homes) and limits placement near intersections where two corners are already auto‑oriented businesses. She said stations are permitted in industrial zones and allowed in mixed‑use districts only as a conditional use.

The presentation compared Aurora’s rules with recent ordinances elsewhere: Lakewood (Jan. 2025) bars stations within a half‑mile of an existing station and requires at least three EV chargers, Louisville (March 2023) caps total stations and sets minimum spacing, and Denver (Feb. 2025) bars stations within a quarter‑mile of existing stations or light‑rail and requires 300 feet from low‑intensity residential, with limited exemptions for stations that include grocery/commercial space.

Chair Wilds, the item sponsor, said the review was prompted by concerns raised by residents in Ward 2 who “feel like they’re inundated with, um, gas stations” and asked staff to consider ways to slow proliferation so neighborhoods do not feel dominated by auto‑oriented uses. Council Member Bergen pressed staff for historical data: how many stations were approved via conditional use on commercial corridors versus administratively in industrial zones and what criteria led to denials.

Brandon Camarada, current planning manager, said staff did not have the five‑year conditional‑use tally at the meeting but agreed to compile permit counts, approvals/denials, and improved maps that zoom to ward‑level and the Havana corridor. He described conditional‑use review as focused on compatibility (pedestrian orientation, potential residential nearby) and said clearer base rules — such as buffer distance from existing stations or tighter residential proximity limits — could reduce reliance on discretionary approvals.

Council members also debated whether the city should require EV chargers or only EV‑ready infrastructure for new stations. Noble provided examples of approaches elsewhere (for example, Vancouver, B.C. requires 50 kW charging capacity on new stations) and noted the city has more than 200,000 EV registrations statewide as of September 2025. Some members favored pre‑wiring or EV‑ready infrastructure rather than an immediate charger mandate; others asked staff to seek industry feedback so policy changes do not deter grocery‑anchored projects.

A caller who identified himself as Bill, representing a property with an existing station in an industrial area, warned that new spacing rules could change the economics of negotiated agreements and offered to meet with staff. Camarada clarified that industrial (green) zones would remain administratively permitted and that the proposed follow up would focus on conditional uses in mixed‑use corridors and residential proximity mapping.

Staff committed to returning in April with: (1) five years of conditional‑use permit outcomes for gas stations (approved/denied), (2) counts of administrative approvals in industrial zones, and (3) clearer, zoomable maps showing residential buffers and examples along the Havana corridor. No regulatory change was adopted at the meeting; the item remains under study.

The committee adjourned the item after directing staff to gather the requested permit data and to hold additional outreach with industry stakeholders.